


A White Picket Fence Or Something Like It

by Gwen_Katana



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clan Djarin, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Family Pet, Force Healing (Star Wars), Found Family, Good Parent Din Djarin, ManDadlorian, Mandalorian Winta, Mando'a Language (Star Wars), Mandomera, MandomeraWeek2021, Massiff, Planet Tatooine (Star Wars), Sand People, Tusken Raiders (Star Wars), mand'alor din djarin, new pet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29977902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gwen_Katana/pseuds/Gwen_Katana
Summary: Mandomera Week Day 4 Prompt: Family (Domestic Moments)A trip to Tatooine brings a new addition to Clan Djarin. Domestic fluff ensues.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Winta, Din Djarin/Omera, Grogu | Baby Yoda & Omera, Grogu | Baby Yoda & Winta, Omera & Winta (Star Wars)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12
Collections: Mandomera Week 2021





	A White Picket Fence Or Something Like It

Winta wakes up to an unfamiliar noise. It’s a whining sound and high pitched. She rubs her eyes and leans on her right forearm. She looks around the campsite and sees that the fire has died and has been reduced to embers. Surrounding their small camp are the tents belonging to the Sand People. One side of the camp abuts a canyon wall, while the other is nothing but sand as far as her eye can see. A couple of sentries are keeping the early morning watch on the edge of the camp.

Across from her, on the other side of the fire pit are her parents sleeping in their shared bedroll with Grogu sleeping between them. She can barely see his tiny chest move up and down from where she is. She thought the noise might have been him whining in his sleep again, he had a bad dream in the middle of the night and Winta had brought him to Din, who got him to settle down and sleep again.

But the noise starts up again and now she can tell it's not coming from camp but further away. It’s a strangled whine. At first it frightens her as she imagines an animal that might come to attack camp. But the more she listens, the more it sounds like the cries of distress. The cries don’t get any louder so she reasons whatever is making the noise isn’t coming any closer.

She sits up fully on her bedroll. She tries to make as little noise as possible, not wanting to wake up her parents. She pulls her blanket off. The morning air is cool and makes her miss the warmth of her blanket instantly.The twin suns haven't come up yet and the sky is a light gray with gold undertones. She puts on her shoes and grabs her holster and clips the belt around her waist. She grabs the blaster Din gave her and puts it in the holster. She’s comforted by the familiar weight on her right hip. She folds her blanket. Her mother’s voice telling her to make her cot every morning echoes in her mind.

With the blanket folded, she takes a peek at her parents again to see if they were still asleep. They haven’t moved. Then, she feels a tug on her leggings and she looks down. Grogu is there looking up at her with his big eyes, ears tilting upwards at being acknowledged. Surprised, she looks back at where she had last seen him sleeping in between her mom and dad, afraid that either one had woken under the child’s movement. But they are in the same position as before. She kneels down to speak to him.

“The noise wake you up too?” She whispers and Grogu tilts his head at her and coos. “Shhhh,” she brings an index finger to her lips. “Don’t want to wake up Mom and Dad.” She extends her arm to him and he climbs up to perch on her shoulder. She can feel his little claws grip her embroidered collar. She stands and looks over her shoulder to see her parents. She just wants to figure out what’s making that noise and come right back. She’ll test the tracking skills Din has been teaching her. She grabs her training helmet next to her bedroll and puts it on. “Alright, lets go.”

They walk for a bit through the canyon, trying to walk towards where the noise is coming from. She uses HUD to scan the ground to see if whatever is making that noise left traces in the sand and underbrush. She sees trails in the sand and drops of dark brown or red liquid. She stops at the sight, wondering if she should keep going or go back. Then, she hears the high pitched whimpers again. It’s louder this time. This close it definitely sounds like cries of pain.

Grogu gives a sympathetic coo in response to the noise. The whimpers tug at her heart too and she decides to keep going.

She turns the corner of the canyon wall slowly and spots something small lying on the canyon floor. It’s cries echo and bounce off the steep canyon walls. She approaches the creature slowly. Her right hand on her blaster as she approaches. When she gets close, she sees it's a small reptilian creature with a narrow nose with round black eyes, four legs and a short tail. One of its hind legs is torn up and bleeding. She removes her hand from her blaster, with an injured hind leg she doubts the creature will attack. She bends down to get a closer look. The little creature looks up and turns to her and lets out another pitiful wail.

“Poor little guy, he’s hurt.” Winta observes. “It looks like the creatures the Sand People use.”

Grogu gives a sad coo.

“It’s a massiff.” A deep modulated voice says behind her. Startled by the unexpected voice, she loses her balance on her haunches and lands on her rear. Grogu remains on her shoulder, she felt him grip her harder to maintain his place. She scrambles to stand and face the voice.

“Dad, I—”

“Boo,” Grogu waves his hand upon seeing Din.

“You shouldn’t have left camp without letting me know where you were going.” He walks up to them. “It’s dangerous to be out here by yourselves.”

She looks down at her feet, chastised. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to track where the noise was coming from,” Another high pitched wail erupts from the creature behind her, “and I didn’t want to wake you.”

“That’s no excuse. I can’t keep you or Grogu safe if I don’t know where you are. Do not do it again.” The words come out clipped and sharp. She looks up at his black visor and the sharp angles of the helmet. The stillness in his posture tells her how upset he is at her.

“I won’t. I’m sorry.”

He nods at her. While she knows how strict Din can be at times, she knows that with his nod, it is the end of the matter. He looks beyond her at the creature still wailing on the canyon floor. He goes to it and kneels before it like Winta had moments before. Grogu tugs on her collar indicating he wants to be put down. She grabs him and sets him on the ground and he walks to stand by their father.

“It’s so small. How is it making such a loud noise?” She asks as she kneels down to join them.

“Massiff’s are known for their calls and howls. It’s a pup and it's calling for its pack.”

She turns to him.“Why haven’t they come for him?”

“It's too badly hurt to survive out in the wild. Her pack probably abandoned her.”

“Her?” Winta looks back at the baby massiff wondering how her dad can tell it’s a girl.

Din nods.

“That’s so sad.” Under her helmet, Winta looks at the creature in pity. It’s tiny, narrow head turns to look at three of them.

Grogu coos and extends his little hands out to the baby massiff and closes his eyes.

“What is he—”

“Wait.” Din holds out his hand.

The baby massiff’s whine ceases and the wound on her hind leg begins to close, leaving only dried blood on unmarked reptilian skin. The massiff sniffs at its leg and begins licking where its wound used to be.

Grogu sits on his rear suddenly and looks up at Winta and Din.

“Did he just heal her?” Winta’s voice laced with disbelief at what she witnessed.

“Yes.”

She looks at Din. “Has he always been able to do that?”

“For as long as I’ve known him.” He picks up Grogu and stands. “But it takes a lot of energy and it tires him out.”

She stands too but looks down at the massiff, who is now trying to get up on all four legs.

“What’s going to happen to her now?” Winta wonders outloud.

“She’ll probably try to find her pack, but if she can’t then she’s gonna have to fend for herself.”

Winta frowns at his words. “But she’s just a baby.”

Din sighs. Stuck between telling her the realities of life and trying to put her at ease. “She’ll be fine now. See her sharp teeth and claws? She can defend herself.” He puts a hand on her shoulder. “Now, come on. We gotta break down our camp and continue on our way.” He removes his hand and starts heading back.

She sees the massiff is on her feet now looking back at her. She silently says goodbye and turns to follow Din. She turns back at the curve of the canyon wall and sees that the massiff is gone.

She catches up to Din, “How’d you find us so fast?”

“Your stealth needs work. One of the sentries spotted you and told me where you went.”

“Dank farrik.” She thought she had gotten past them all. She realizes what slipped out of her mouth and she narrowly stops herself from slapping a hand over her mouth, remembering her helmet at the last second.

Din turns to her, “What did we say about foul language?”

“ ‘Not in front of the baby.’ ” Winta recites.

Din turns back to see the canyon’s mouth ahead of them and the tents at the edge of camp.“We’ll work on your stealth when we get back home but your tracking has improved from last time.”

Winta brighens at his compliment. “Really?” Her voice tinged with excitement at the prospect of private lessons with him. With his duties as Mand’alor, she doesn’t get to see him much beyond evening meals and bedtime, so she cherishes the lessons he gives her from time to time.

“Really.” The warmth in Din’s voice comes through the helmet’s modulation and he watches as giddiness laces Winta’s steps. Though he can’t see her expression, he can tell she is happy.

Later, as the family begins to pack up their belongings back into the land speeder, Winta hears a high pitched chirp behind her. She turns around and there sitting by the dead campfire is the baby massiff.

“Hey, look!” She goes up to it and picks it up in her arms. “Mom, it’s the baby massiff we found this morning.”

Grogu is on her shoulder again, having recovered after eating a hearty breakfast. “Batu,” his ears wiggle in excitement.

Omera stops packing and walks up to her daughter to see the small creature in her arms. “What’s it doing all the way out here?”

“She must not have been able to find her pack again. Can we keep her, Mom? Please?” Winta pleads. “You said, I could have a loth-cat when I was older, and I’m almost thirteen now. I can take care of her, I promise.”

Omera sighs and turns back to look at Din, who is standing by the land speeder. He puts a hand on his waist. She shrugs at him. He tilts his head at her. Omera nods her head toward the sentries with fully grown massiffs.

Winta knows that Force sensitive people can speak to each other without speaking, she saw it with Master Skywalker and Grogu. While she knows that her Mom and Dad aren’t Force sensitive, after watching exchanges like this one between her parents, she swears they can talk to each other without speaking too. Omera turns back at Winta. “If Dad says yes, then I say yes.”

Winta goes up to Din with Grogu on her shoulder and the baby massiff in her arms and looks up at him, “Please Dad?

“Winta—” Din starts.

Winta continues, “Her family probably left her, you said so yourself. She’s a foundling, Dad. Please, can we keep her?”

Din mentally sighs. He did not expect Winta to use the Mandalorian teachings on foundlings to convince him to let her keep a pet.He looks at Winta in her visor, then at his own former foundling, now son, who looks back at him with his own pleading face. He then looks down at the small massiff, its small black round eyes looking back at him, with its mouth hanging open in a wide grin. He looks beyond them at Omera, her eyes bright and she grins back at him. He can tell she has no objections to keeping the pup.

_Manda,_ how soft he is when it comes to his _aliit._

“Fine,” he sighs out.

“Yes!” Winta cheers and even Grogu squeals in happiness.

“Thanks, Dad.” Winta then turns to Omera, “Thanks, Mom.”

Omera puts a hand on her waist but smiles down at her daughter, “Remember what you said about taking care of her.”

“I will, I promise.” Winta turns back to Din, “Will you help me ask the Orsic and Scylla how to take care of her?”

Din nods. “We’ll do it before we leave. Now, go and finish packing your things.” Winta nods and she sets the massiff pup down and turns to where she had been packing up her bedroll and other belongings. The pup following close behind.

Omera walks up to him giving him a teasing smile. “I see you’re not immune to Winta’s pleas even from behind a helmet.”

Din crosses his arms and leans back on the land speeder. “You didn’t put up too much of a fight either.”

“I think this will be good for her. She can learn some responsibility and she could use the company.” Omera’s smile fades. “It can be hard for her sometimes back at home. The kids her age at the covert are more advanced in their training than she is and I know she misses Grogu when he’s at the temple.”

Din turns away from her to look at Winta and his heart aches at the thought of her struggling back at their home on New Mandalore. He recalls own memories of his early years as a foundling. Those early years aren’t easy by any means. Her excitement towards having stealth lessons with him resonating differently now. He vows to make more time for lessons with her.

Omera grabs his hand and interlaces their hands, “Hey, don’t worry about it too much. She understands how important being _Mand’alor_ is and I’ve been taking her out to the blaster range for extra practice.”

Omera’s words placate his worries a bit but he turns back to look at her warm brown eyes, “I told her this morning that I would help her with her stealth when we returned home. I’ll make time for more lessons with her.”

Omera gives him a warm smile, “She’d love that, Din.” They hold each other’s gaze for a moment. Omera appreciating how devoted he is to their family, and Din overwhelmed by love and support he’s found in his _aliit_. He is about to lean in to press his helmet to her forehead when he hears Winta clear her throat. Din and Omera turn to see her standing there holding her belongings in her arms, Grogu no longer on her shoulders but standing next to her. Din suddenly wishes they were at Fett’s compound already, just so he can have a private place to be with his wife without interruptions.

Omera lets go of Din’s hand to take the bundle from Winta,“Thank you, I’ll take that,” and places it inside the speeder. “I’ll handle the rest of the packing, if you two want to speak to Orsic about the new addition to the clan?”

“Yeah, lets go.” She picks up the massiff pup and heads towards the tent belonging to Din’s friend, whose family has massiffs.

Grogu taps on Din’s boot and calls out to him, “Boo.” Din picks him up and tucks him in the crook of his arm, but before he walks away to follow Winta, he leans in to touch foreheads with Omera.

“Later,” he promises, his voice deep and enticing.

“Later,” she sighs longingly.

He pulls away and follows after his daughter.

Winta is alone with Grogu and the massiff pup in her room she’s sharing with Grogu in the private guest suite given to them by Boba Fett for the duration of their stay. Her parents are speaking with Uncle Boba and Aunt Fennec in the communal living area of the guest suite.

Grogu is rolling a toy rubber ball with the Force toward the pup, who eagerly catches it in between its paws, which makes Grogu squeal with laughter.

Winta smiles at the sight. She takes the ball and bounces it across the room and watches the pup chase after it. “I need to give you a name.” Winta racks her mind through different possible names. She thinks of names from Sorgan, then names and words from the different languages she’s been learning from her dad. She watches the massiff play with the ball with her mouth hanging open, her long jaws giving her the appearance of a wide grin. Winta recalls how she fed her earlier, the pup’s jaws chomping down on the scraps of bantha meat. “I know, I’ll call you Edee. It’s Mando'a for ‘jaws’. What do you think, Grogu?”

“Eeeh,” his long ears rising up on his head.

“Edee it is.” When Edee brought the ball back to her, she let it drop and Winta picked her up to hold her close. “Hi Edee, do you like that name?” Edee responds by licking Winta’s face. Winta laughs, “Okay, okay!”

Grogu laughs at Winta being licked by Edee.

There is a knock at the door and Winta puts down Edee to put her helmet back on. “Come in!”

Omera walks in and Winta removes her helmet upon seeing her mother. “Time for bed, Winta. You too, little one.” Omera bends down to pick Grogu up to prepare him for bed.

“Already?” Winta whines.

Omera brushes hair out of Winta’s face. “Yes, now go on and get ready.” Winta grabs her personal bag and heads to the refresher, while Omera heads to the master suite refresher to clean Grogu up before bed.

When Winta returns to her room, Omera is sitting bedside and tucking Grogu into bed. Edee is lying down in a nest of blankets on the floor next to the bed. Winta sets her bag down and kneels down and pets Edee. “Guess what, Mom.”

Omera looks over at her daughter, “What?”

Winta picks up Edee and shows her to her mom, “I finally thought of a name for her. Meet Edee.”

Omera pets the massiff pup in Winta’s arms and Edee licks Omera’s hand. “Hello Edee.”

Winta looks down at the pup adoringly.“Her name means ‘jaws’ in _Mando’a_. Do you think Dad will like her name?”

Omera’s eyes smiles and there is a twinkle in her eyes as she replies, “I’m sure your Dad will love it.”

“What will I love?”

Winta jumps, startled at hearing her dad’s voice behind her. At least she manages to stay on her feet this time. She turns around to see her dad leaning against the door frame. He still wore his armor and boots but his helmet is nowhere in sight. “How do you keep doing that?”

He grins at her. “I’ll show you one day.”

She walks up to him. “I named her Edee. Do you like it?”

“I do.” He pets Edee softly along her side.

“C’mon, Winta. Time for bed now.” Omera pats the space next to Grogu. Winta places Edee down on the nest of blankets on the floor before climbing into bed.

Din walks further into the room and picks up WInta’s helmet from where she left it and places it on the bedside table.

Omera bends down and kisses Winta’s forehead. “Good night, Winta.” She brushes one of Grogu’s long ears. “Good night, Grogu.”

Grogu, half asleep already, coos softly, “Goo.”

Winta yawns, “Night, Mom.”

Din pulls the blanket closer to Winta and Grogu. “ _Jate ca_ , Winta.”

Winta smiles at her dad, “ _Jate ca, buir._ Did I get that right?”

Din nods. His heart swells in pride. He brushes Grogu’s ear affectionately, “ _Jate ca, ad’ika._ ”

Grogu gives Din a sleepy smile, “Jaah.”

Both Omera and Din leave the children’s bedside and walk out of the room. Omera turns off the light and Din closes the door behind them. The walk hand in hand towards the master suite, both relieved to be alone at last.

**Author's Note:**

> I loved the idea of Din getting a massiff as a pet ever since episode one of season 2. I tweaked that idea to turn it into the family getting a new pet and now I can't quit this idea. I had to cut stuff from this one-shot for time. There were so many things I wanted to add. I did research! (See Googled how to take care of reptiles). So, I may return to this later on. I hope you enjoyed what I have here though.
> 
> Mando’a Translations:
> 
> Ad’ika: little one, son, daughter, of any age.  
> Alitt: family  
> Buir: father/mother  
> Edee: Teeth/Jaws  
> Jate ca: good night  
> Manda: the collective soul or heaven - the state of being Mandalorian in mind, body and spirit. Also supreme, overarching, guardian-like.  
> Mand’alor: sole ruler


End file.
